Playtime – a case study

The collective work by composer Perttu Haapanen, guitarist Petri Kumela and puppet theatre artist Alma Rajala brings together traditional instrument-making and the latest technology in a musical hall of mirrors, where the guitar struggles to free itself from the traditional Spanish confines with varying results. Object theatre brings the work a tangible dimension, where objects create sound that goes both with and against the grain and the guitar is played in a new way.

The work is performed on an active acoustic guitar that Kumela has helped to develop in a joint Nordic project by the Academy of Finland. It is a classical concert guitar with microphones and amplifiers installed inside, which means that it still works as an acoustic concert instrument but has extended features and surprising soundscapes.